Within days of fifth anniversary of mass shooting, demolition of Borderline gets underway

Dave Mason, Ventura County Star
Updated ·2 min read
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Demolition has begun of the former Borderline Bar & Grill, the Thousand Oaks site of a mass killing five years ago.

The building is owned by Al Golden and his Encino company, Golden Enterprises, said Stephen Kearns, Thousand Oaks' planning division manager. Kearns said an affiliated company, Golden Construction, and its subcontractors are doing the demolition, which began Thursday.

Al Golden couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

Kearns said he visited the site at 99 Rolling Oaks Drive, where the subcontractors told him the demolition would take three or four months to complete. The planning division manager said the city issued the demolition permit last December, but talk of razing the structure has been discussed at City Hall since at least January 2021.

Kearns said he doesn’t know Golden’s plans for the site but said the planning division gave the building owner a long list of permitted uses, which include a restaurant, general offices and retail.

The site has been shuttered since a gunman shot and killed 12 people after entering Borderline at 11:18 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2018. He later shot himself and died.

A pile of rubble takes the place of the former Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks as a demolition crew dismantles the building on Nov. 13.
A pile of rubble takes the place of the former Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks as a demolition crew dismantles the building on Nov. 13.

The victims killed at the Borderline were Sean Adler, Blake Dingman, Jake Dunham, Cody Gifford-Coffman, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, Alaina Housley, Daniel Manrique, Justin Meek, Mark Meza, Kristina Morisette, Telemachus Orfanos and Noel Sparks.

Last week on the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting, victims and survivors were honored on Nov. 7 during a day of remembrance in Thousand Oaks. About 500 people attended.

After the shooting, gifts were left at the Borderline site.

Museum of Ventura County in Ventura has archived the gifts over the years, said Alexandra South, the city's spokesperson. She added that the initial flowers were made into mulch and used at the Healing Garden at Conejo Creek North Park in Thousand Oaks.

South noted the significant amount of cash donations went immediately to the Ventura County Community Foundation.

Borderline closed after the 2018 shooting. Business owner Brian Hynes opened BL Dancehall & Saloon in Agoura Hills in January 2020, but it closed in February.

In October, Hynes, 43, of Thousand Oaks, was convicted of embezzlement by a Ventura County jury for taking almost $44,000 from the Rotary Club of Westlake Village.

Staff writers Tom Kisken and Kathleen Wilson contributed to this report.

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Borderline Bar & Grill demolition begins in Thousand Oaks